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Double Canoe Polo U21 European Champion title for Germany

31.8.2019

The 2019 ECA Canoe Polo European Championships in Coimbra brought the first medallists. On Saturday men and women in U21 age category fought for the medals in the 13th edition of ECA Canoe Polo European Championships. Germany celebrated two gold medals today after both their national U21 teams showed strength in the finals.

Germany came to Portugal as one of the main favorites for the medals in all four categories, men and women's U21 and senior. After the first final day their score is perfect, two gold medals in two finals.

First women's U21 team from Germany defended their European Champion titles from two years ago. This time they have won in the final against the team of Great Britain with a score 4 - 2. Hilke Vogt, Annika Knoepfel, Nina Hachenburg and Nele Schmalenbach were the team members who scored important goals on their way to victory. Caitlin Fox and Katie Howes scored for the British team. Germany came to the final after their 5 - 0 semifinal win over Italy, and Great Britain advanced from the semifinal match with France after 7 - 4 win.

So, Italy and France played in the bronze medal match and it was France who celebrated a medal at the end of the game which ended 7 - 0. Gaelle Bail scored twice, and Coline Belkheir, Marion Robert, Angele Garcia, Laura Saliou and Camille Meyer each added a goal. France was third also in 2017 in Saint-Omer.

The final standings in women's U21 part of the tournament are Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal and Poland.

Loud German fans who came to Portugal to support their teams did not have much time for rest as their men's U21 team fought for another gold medal. Germany advanced to the final after semifinal win against Switzerland (5 - 2). In the decisive match of the tournament they have played against Italy who was better than Spain in the semifinal (3 - 2). In the final match German players scored four times, with Svante May scoring twice, while Rene Kirchoff and Leon Konrad each added a goal for the final score. In the Italian team only Vicenzo Nugnes found a solution for strong German defence. The final score was 4 - 1 for Germany.

In the bronze medal match Switzerland beat Spain 6 - 2. Andreas Hug, Elias Werner and Dario Stern each scored twice, while in the Spanish team Antonio Romero and Dario Guerrero scored for the final result of the match.

The final standings in men's U21 part of the tournament are Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, France, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Lithuania, Ireland, Great Britain, Denmark, Belgium, Russia and Czech Republic.

On Sunday the championships will conclude with senior men's and women's medal matches.